Plow sweep



March 10, 1959 c wo 2,877,061

' 21.0w SWEEP Filed Sept. 14, 1956 A-r'roiz u Evs engaged from the shovel;

United States Patent PLOW SWEEP Noah L. Blackwood, Gideon, Mo.

Application September 14, 1956, Serial No. 609,866

2 Claims. (Cl. 3061.6)

This invention relates to a plow or cultivator sweep, and has particular regard to an improved means for attachmg the same to a conventional cultivator foot.

Ordinarily, a sweep or shovel is attached to a foot by means of bolts, and for example, on a four row cultivator forty-six bolts are required in one typical make of implement. The replacement of shovels thus becomes a laborious, time-consuming operation, and the main object of the invention is to provide an improved means for facilitating the attachment of a sweep or shovel to a cultivator foot, that will reduce the time required for the operation so greatly as to make the removal and replacement of shovels a highly simplified, speedy, and easy task.

One object of importance is to provide a shovel attaching means-as stated that will be capable of incorporation in the implement with minimum modificationand redesign thereof.

A further object is to insure that the shovel will be securely attached to the foot, with no danger of its becoming loosened or wholly detached accidentally during use.

Another object is to provide latch means for the shovel that will automatically engage in back of the same responsive to positioning of the shovel on the cultivator foot.

A further object is to effect mounting of the latch means on a conventional cultivator foot without requiring discarding or expensive alteration of the foot.

A further object is to permit shifting of the latch means to a shovel-disengaging position with maximum facility, at such time as the shovel is to be removed and replaced.

Other objects will appear from the following description, the claims appended thereto, and from the annexed drawing, in which like reference characters designate like parts throughout the several views, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a rear elevational view of the sweep attached to the foot;

Figure 2 is-a longitudinal sectional view on line 2--2 of Figure l in which the dotted lines show the foot dis- Figure 3 is an enlarged transverse sectional view substantially on line 3-3 of Figure 2; and

Figure 4 is an enlarged, exploded perspective view of the foot and shovel.

Designated generally at is the sweep, while at 12 there has been similarly designated the culitvator foot.

Considering first the sweep construction, this is a single piece of metal shaped to include an attaching tongue 14 of flat, wide formation, lying in a plane oblique to the general plane of the triangularly shaped shoe or shovel element 16. Slight indentations 18 may be formed at opposite sides of the base of tongue 14, in the back edge of shovel element 16.

Extending rearwardly from and integral with the opposite longitudinal edges of tongue 14, at the outer end of said tongue, are rectangular ears 20 lying in parallel 2,877,061 Patented Mar. 10, Q

planes normal to the plane of tongue 14 and terminating at their back edges in inwardly, forwardly bent flanges 22 converging in the direction of the plane of tongue 14.

Foot 12, except for the provision of a latch means to be described, is wholly conventional, and includes a planiform web 24 integral at its opposite longitudinal edges with side walls 26 progressively increased in width in the direction of their upper ends and formed, at said upper ends, with transversely spaced openings 28 adapted to,receive bolts or equivalent fastening elements, not shown, for attaching the same to the cultivator beam.

In accordance with the invention, a latch means is provided, including a transversely extending pivot pin 30 engaged in transversely aligned openings formed in the lower ends of side walls 26. A U-shaped latch element 32 has openings adjacent the ends of the legs remote from the bight thereof, receiving the pins 30, said bight of the latch element extending almost the full distance between side walls 26 as shown in Figure 3.

The outer ends of the legs are formed with curved bevels 33, so arranged that when latch element 32 is swung clockwise in Figure 2 about the axis defined by pin 30, it cannot swing beyond the full line position shown in Figure 2, in which position the latch element is disposed in a plane that lies at an acute angle to the plane of the web 24. Latch element 32, however, is free to swing counterclockwise in Figure 2, shifting the bight part of the latch element in the direction of the web, as shown in dotted lines in Figure 2.

Coiled about the pin 30 is a torsion spring 34, one end 36 which is elongated and bears against the inner surface of web 24, the other end 38 of the spring being slightly shorter and terminating in a hook-shaped extremity that is engaged over one of the legs of latch element 32. The spring is so tensioned as to normally bias the latch element clockwise in Figure 2 about its pivot axis to swing the bight part of the latch element away from web 24.

It will be seen that the cars 20, together with their flanges 22, constitute a U-shaped yoke or tongue 14 shaped to embrace the lower end of the cultivator foot, with the side walls of the cultivator foot being guided in the spaces between the flanges 22 and the associated cars 20, said flanges 22 extending into the space between side walls 26 of foot 12.

The flanges 22 are so disposed that the bight of the latch element is in the path thereof when the yoke is shifted upwardly in Figure 2 to mount the shovel upon the foot. As a result, assuming that the shovel is de tached from the foot as in Figure 4, one shifts the yoke upwardly, fitting the same over the lower end of the foot. This causes the flanges 22 to cammingly engage the bight part of the latch element, biasing the latch element counterclockwise in Figure 2 from its normal position shown in full lines in this figure.

After the yoke has moved upwardly along the cultivator foot to its Figure 2 position, it clears the latch element and the spring, now free to unwind, biases the latch element clockwise in Figure 2 about its pivot axis 30, with the clockwise movement being limited by the engagement of the beveled abutment ends 33 of the legs of the latch element against the web 24. This locates the latch element below the flanges 22, preventing ret rogressive movement of the shovel, so that the shovel is securely engaged on the foot. It will be noted that the outer longitudinal edges of the side walls 26 are inclined in a direction to progressively increase the width of the side walls toward their upper ends. As a result, at the time the shovel is securely engaged on the foot, with the latch element in latching position, its further movement in a direction upwardly in Figure 2 is limited by 9. binding of the flanges against the adjacent longitudinal edges ofthe side walls 26.

By reason of this arrangement, the shovel is firmly held upon the cultivator foot so .thatthe regular use of the cultivator is noWperniitted.

At such time as the shovel is to be replaced or removed for any other purpose, it is merely necessary; that flitbe forced'upwardly upon-the cultivator foot to.avery"slig ht extent,' just suflicient to permit the.latch elementito he swunginwardly clear of the flanges. The latch element may now be manually shifted to itsdotted line position of FigureZ, so as to disengage the shovel and permit removal ofthe shovel.

It will'b'e seen that the constructionis one that permits a cultivator shovel to be attached to or removed from'a generaliconventional foot with maximum ease and Lspeed, and without requirement ofthe bolts-thatarepresently required. As a result; the taskofjattaching'ordetaching cultivator shovels is measurably simplified, and'one may replace all 'theshovels upon acultivator,even'one'of large size, in a very short time andwithout requirement'of special tools or skilled help.

Further, the invention has the highly desirable characteristic wherein the cultivator foot is basicallyconventional, and'need not be modified or redesigned. It is merely necessary that openings be drilled for the pin 3%) in the side Walls 26 of a conventional cultivator feet, after which the latch'means is readily mounted upon-the'foot, adapting the foot to receive-acultivator sweep or'shovel formed as illustrated and described herein.

It isbelieved apparentthat the'invention-is not necessarily confined to the specific use or uses thereof described above, since it may be-utilized for any purpose towhich it may be suited. Nor is the invention to'be necessarily limitedto the specific construction illustrated and described, since-suchconstruction is only intended to be-illustrative-of the principles of operationand the means presently devised to carry out said principles, it being consideredfthat the invention comprehends any minor-change in construction that may be permitted within the scope of theappended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. The combination, with a-channelled cultivator foo including a web and spaced side walls extending-rearwardly from the web, of a sweepincluding a shovel element, a tongue extending therefrom, and an attaching yoke on-the tongue adapted for embracingly engaging said footandformed' with flanges extending inwardly "in the space between the side walls; and a u-shaped' latch-pivotally mounted on the-foot'between the sidewalls and spring-biased toa normal position engaging said flanges, said latch' being manually swingable against the-spring "bias'thereof to a position clear of thefi'a'nges toffee-the sweep for'removal from the'foot, the latch incl'udinglegs' having beveled ends engaging said web in the normal position of the latch-to limit the-latch'against-movement beyond its normal position, said-latch when-inits normal position being-disposed ina plane oblique to'the' length of the web for camming of the latch to the second named 'position'thereof by the flanges on movement of the yoke intermediatethe ends of the foot,- said side walls being progressively increased in width in-a direction away from the' sweep, the flanges including lips" embracing the side walls, the'side walls wedging in the yoke on forward movemenfof'theyoke-to saidnormal 'positiontodimitthe-yoke against movement beyond its normal position in a forward direction, the latch engaging in back of the yoke when the yoke is in said normal position to limit the yoke against retrograde movement from said normal position thereof.

2. The combination, with a cultivator foot of U-shaped cross section including a-afiatiweb and fiat side walls extending rearwardly from.the opposite longitudinal edges of said web in parallel'planes, of" a sweep including a shovel element, a;;planiform:tongue'projecting rearwardly fromsaid element, andlan attaching yoke rigid ,with the tongue *anddormed to a U-shapedcrosssection, said attaching yoke beingrproportioned-forfembracingly engaging about said foot, the yoke including side walls adapted to extend in face-contacting relation to the respective, corresponding side walls of the foot, said yoke being formed with flanges upon the side walls thereof. extending inwardly in thespacebetween the sidewalls ofthe'yoke for 'bearingagainst-the rear edges-of theside-walls'of thepfoot;

and a U-shapedlatch pivotally'mountedmn the foot" to swing; about an axis-extending transversely of the-foot'and perpendicular to'the planes of'the'side-walls-of'thefoot, said A latch swinging" between the side -Wallsof the foot and being under springbias tending to swingthe same to 'removal'fr'omthe foot, said latch includingtlegs having beveled 1 ends formed with surfaces disposed' substantially in the plane of the webrin .contact with the inner surface of the web in the normal position of the latch,- so as=to limit the latch'against'movement in one direction beyond its normal position, said-latch when normally positioned lying in'a plane obliqueto the length-of the-*web' for camming of the latch to the second named position thereof by the flanges on movement of the yoke longitudinally of the foot onto the foot, said latch-being spring-biased to its normal, flange-engagingpositionfollowing-movement of the yoke to a predetermined position intermediate the ends ofthe foot,- saidside walls of'the foot heing progressively increasedin'width-in a direction away from the sweep with the rear and fr'ontedges ofieach sidewall of the foot converging in a direction toward the sweep, the flanges of, the yoke and" the "plane of the tongueconverging: in the corresponding direction, for'disposition 1 of the yoke flanges in longitudinally contacting relation, to

the rear edgesof' the side walls of theafootin said-predetermined: position ofithe yoke so as to limit: the-yoke against movement in one-direction beyond said predetermined position thereof by wedging of the side wallsio'f 'thefoouwithin'the yoke, the-latch engaging 'in back of the yoke when the yoke is'in said predetermined position thereof 5 to limitthe yoke against retrograde-1 movement from said predetermined position.

References Cited in the file ofithis patent UNITED STATES- PATENTS 665,032 Petway et al "Jan-r l, 1901 1,015,176 Hall, Jan. 16,1912 1,132,335 Graves Mar. 16, 1915 2,258,932 JaC0ljS-.- 0C1. 14,11 941 2,494,159 Bernstein a. Jam, 10, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS.-

748,024' France Apr; 10, 1933 

